The Ubisoft Workers of Montreal Union's petition to "preserve hybrid work" has gathered more than 300 signatures, the union confirmed on Bluesky.

The petition, launched from the union's official account, calls on Ubisoft's Montreal-based workforce to maintain the ability to split time between office and remote locations. The phrase "preserve hybrid work" — used verbatim by the union — frames the request as a defence of an existing working condition rather than a fresh concession, positioning current flexibility as a benefit worth protecting through collective action rather than a temporary accommodation.

What does 300 signatures represent?

The figure offers one operational signal: organised, named backing from a portion of the Montreal studio's headcount. Ubisoft Montreal operates one of the publisher's largest North American footprints, though neither party has published a signatory-to-staff ratio, leaving external readers to gauge reach by accumulation rate.

A petition of this size typically performs three functions inside an organising map:

• Documents visible support for collective demands ahead of formal contract negotiations
• Gives union spokespeople a clean number to cite when escalating to corporate leadership
• Builds a public record of dissent should management decline to engage

The "preserve" framing matters strategically. It casts the request as a defence of the status quo rather than a new ask, shifting the rhetorical burden of justification in subsequent discussions with management toward the company.

Why does hybrid work remain contested in games?

Across the wider games industry, hybrid and remote policies have cycled repeatedly since the 2022 post-pandemic reset. Several publishers rolled out return-to-office directives and softened them under retention pressure, particularly in talent-scarce disciplines such as senior engineering and technical art.

That pattern has reshaped how studio workforces treat flexibility: many now classify remote or hybrid terms as part of total compensation rather than an operating perk granted at management's discretion.

For Ubisoft specifically, the petition lands at a moment when industry observers have connected broader return-to-office programmes to renewed union activity in multiple North American offices. The union's continuing public engagement — including direct petitioning of its own membership — suggests the flexibility question remains an unresolved negotiation rather than settled policy.

The wider implication for peer studios: any backtrack on flexibility now looks likely to trigger a formal grievance track rather than a quiet HR adjustment.

What changes for studios tracking this?

Studios in Montréal and other major hubs should expect continued labour activity around in-office requirements into 2026. HR and operations leads handling any return-to-office adjustment are likely to face parallel demands for documented accommodations and structured consultation periods.

Three signals worth watching: any formal management response from Ubisoft to the petition; whether the signature count crosses a higher threshold as it circulates beyond the core organising committee; and whether the "preserve" framing becomes a template for parallel demands in other unionised Ubisoft offices.